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First, Grillot said he approached the man as a result of his actions in that restaurant. His family said the suspect, identified as Adam W. Purinton, 51, was mistreating others in the bar.

"I opened the door and was like 'I'm going to have to ask you to leave, sir. There's no reason to act like that around this bar. This is a family restaurant.'"

After that, Grillot said the man left and things went back to normal - he went back to watching the University of Kansas basketball game with his friends. But the suspect returned.

"I thought all the trouble was over with, and we were all just sitting and watching the game minding our own business."

The bar's door opened - and Grillot remembers a man "opening up" and "firing rounds."

"I was hit in the hand and the chest. Initially I had gotten him to the table when he first started firing," explained Grillot. "I thought I heard nine shots. I thought his magazine was empty. So, I got up and started chasing him down. I tried to subdue him so that police could come in and do what they needed to do and I guess I miscounted with everything going on. I got behind him. And he turned around and fired a round at me."

That bullet with through Ian's hand and into his chest, barely missing his carotid artery and fracturing one of the vertebrae in his neck.

The next thing he remembers is waking up in the hospital.

"I was told I was incredibly lucky for what happened to me. I could have never walked again or seen my family again."

Now, people are thanking him for his quick action that night.

"A lot of people are calling me a hero and this and that and the other - and it's not like that. I was just doing what anyone should have done for another human being. It's not about where he's from or his ethnicity. We're all humans. So I just felt I did what was naturally right to do."

Grillot said after waking up at the hospital he was praying for the two other men involved - Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani. Kuchibhotla was killed but Madasani escaped with serious injuries.

"I'm just very grateful that one of the gentlemen is fine and alive. It's terrible what happened to his friend, but I think he was watching over us last night."

Madasani came to visit Grillot in the hospital Thursday.

"It was the greatest thing," said Ian. "I can't even describe it. Come to find out - his wife is five months pregnant. So that was kind of a - a real - something was guiding me to do what I did. And somebody was watching over me and him."

Grillot's family has started GoFundMe page to help him on his long road to recovery. So far more than $50,000 has been raised to help with his medical bills.

You can watch the full interview from his hospital room here:

Purinton is charged with 1 count of premeditated murder and 2 counts of attempted premeditated murder. The FBI says a hate crime investigation has been opened in connection with this incident.